Chapter 117 Killing the Grand Duke (Part 5) She was a girl
The night was deep, and the moonlight was filtered through the window paper, casting a few blurry shadows on the edge of the bed.
Inside the narrow bed curtains, the air seemed to thicken.
Song Qiling was fast asleep. Unconsciously, he snuggled closer to the warmth, and the stray hairs on his forehead gently brushed against his chin, bringing a tingling, itchy sensation.
Gu Lianzhou's breath hitched.
The world seemed to be compressed into this small bed. The mattress beneath me was warm from the afternoon sun, but the person in my arms was even hotter than the mattress. The warmth of their body seeped through the thin layer of clothing.
Song Qiling seemed to find this "human pillow" exceptionally comfortable. The leg hanging down to his waist rubbed down further, and his knee unintentionally pressed against the side of his tense leg. His arm also curled up, and the back of his hand gently brushed against Gu Lianzhou's chest.
Upon touch, a tingling, itchy sensation seemed to creep through my limbs and bones.
Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes.
In the dim light, all that could be seen was his senior brother's dark hair scattered on the pillow, and a small patch of smooth forehead.
The breath brushing against his neck, with each gentle exhale and exhale, was like a feather, repeatedly stimulating his most sensitive nerves.
The itch is no longer confined to the skin, but slowly seeps into the blood vessels, meandering downwards, igniting a hidden heat.
He could even clearly feel a layer of fine shivers rising on his exposed skin, creating an indescribable tactile sensation where his skin rubbed against his senior's pajamas.
Beneath the covers, where their limbs were intertwined, the temperature quietly rose.
Gu Lianzhou held his breath and carefully raised one hand, hovering it above his senior brother's back. His fingertips were only inches away from the warm fabric, but in the end, he just held it loosely and dared not let it fall.
Time seemed to stretch out in the silence, each breath becoming exceptionally clear and long. The sound of the gong outside the window had long since faded away, and the bedroom was so quiet that it seemed that only the intertwined breaths and heartbeats remained.
Gu Lianzhou remained frozen, letting the ambiguity in the darkness grow wildly like vines, binding him tightly. Even when he closed his eyes, the curve of his Adam's apple bobbing carried a hint of helplessness.
Reason finally surfaced amidst the heat.
At this moment, it was far too presumptuous and improper for him to be naked and skin-to-skin with his senior brother like this; he had to do something.
At least... at least move his senior brother's leg that was draped over his waist.
Having made up his mind, Gu Lianzhou took a deep breath, trying to suppress his heart pounding like a drum.
He turned his gaze to the sleeping face so close to his own, and only after confirming that his senior brother's breathing was steady and deep, and that he was sound asleep, did he dare to take any action.
He slowly withdrew his hand, and taking advantage of the darkness, carefully and precisely lowered it until he touched a soft piece of fabric. Then, gritting his teeth, he silently exerted his strength, gripped his knee, and tried to move his leg down little by little.
Unexpectedly, as soon as there was any movement, the senior brother's legs tensed slightly.
Gu Lianzhou's heart tightened immediately, and he quickly loosened his grip, only daring to lightly press his fingernail against the surface.
After a moment, he dared to continue. Just as the leg was about to leave his waist, he suddenly heard a very soft, somewhat impatient murmur in his ear.
It sounds like he's talking in his sleep.
Suddenly, the leg that was draped over his waist swung off, then slid down again...
The leg that had been loosely draped over his waist was now pressed tightly against his side, causing his senior brother's body to lean slightly towards him as well.
The warm breath, carrying a faint scent of soapberry, almost seeped into the hollow of his neck.
Gu Lianzhou's blood froze instantly.
All senses were completely overwhelmed by the sudden closeness in that instant, leaving only the clear temperature of skin against skin and the lingering faint scent in the air.
He looked down in astonishment.
But then she saw her hand, which had been frozen in place, slide down a little further due to her senior brother's movement, and now it was pressed against her face right through the thin, soft nightgown...
I couldn't see anything clearly in the dim light, but the sensation in my palm was incredibly distinct.
It was a softness unlike that of an ordinary man's skin, completely different from the rugged lines he had in mind.
Gu Lianzhou's pupils suddenly contracted, staring incredulously at the spot where his hand had landed.
At the boundary between shadow and light, the folds of his nightgown were slightly pressed down by the pressure of his palm, and the lines he outlined lost their flatness and gained a softer curve.
As if guided by some unseen force, his fingertips trembled slightly and slid downwards.
here,
It belongs to my senior brother...
A certain realization struck him like a thunderclap, exploding in his blank mind.
A buzzing sound filled my ears, and my hand, which was resting on the other person's leg, was jolted away as if splashed with hot oil. I was frozen in mid-air due to extreme shock, unable to fall or retract it.
My blood seemed to be flowing backward, and the soft touch still lingered on my fingertips.
He stood there awkwardly, his eyes fixed on his senior brother's sleeping face in the dim light, the familiar features now seeming utterly unfamiliar.
His eyebrows lacked the sharpness of an ordinary man's; instead, they gleamed with a gentle curve in the moonlight. His eyelashes were long and thin, casting a faint shadow under his eyes as they fell. Even the force of his breath brushing against the side of his neck was softer than he remembered.
His usually aloof features revealed a gentleness in the dappled moonlight that he had never dared to think about before.
In the long silence, my heart pounded harder and harder.
I see.
That's really true...
A tremendous, almost terrifying ecstasy, mixed with a slight resentment at being deceived, silently swept over him.
If Song Qiling were to open her eyes at this moment, she might be startled by the undisguised heat in his eyes.
There's so much hidden in that heat.
The long-suppressed desire, the clarity of the settled matter, and the eagerness of the truth coming to light—the chaotic emotions had long since burned away all the restraint of the past.
Gu Lianzhou finally regained his breathing.
In the past, he always deliberately avoided this feeling. He knew it was wrong to fall in love with his senior brother, but he couldn't help but follow him with his eyes. He knew that humans and demons were different and that the gender conflict was against morality, but he couldn't help but crave the warmth beside him.
Until he was completely transformed into a demon, he developed a "what's the use of trying" mentality.
Demons are meant to do as they please, so what if they fall in love with a man? Even if he can only stay by her side as her junior brother, share three meals a day with her, and hear her call him "junior brother," that would be enough.
Even though his demonic nature prevented him from eating anything, he would do anything to make his senior brother happy.
But now, everything is different.
He couldn't calm down; his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst his chest. A mix of emotions—ecstasy, shock, grievance, relief—crowded in a corner of his heart, swelling rapidly and almost exploding.
It turns out that it wasn't his imagination!
No wonder my senior brother never goes shirtless in public and is always dressed very conservatively.
No wonder she dressed as a woman in her illusion in Pingkangfang. At the time, I thought it was just the influence of demonic power, but now I realize it was all a flaw.
And her frankness when she spoke of not liking women revealed that it wasn't homosexuality, but rather a woman's true feelings...
She is a girl.
She really is a girl!
Those feelings suppressed deep in their hearts, those emotions they dared not utter aloud, those heavy guilt arising from their unacceptable and immoral emotions, that self-loathing that gnawed at their hearts day and night—at this moment, they were all easily shattered by this light and airy truth.
The woman he fell in love with from beginning to end was always the same one.
My gaze fell once again on Song Qiling's completely oblivious sleeping face, and everything seemed different.
His fingertips trembled slightly in mid-air, and the desire to touch and confirm almost burst forth from his body.
But he ultimately held back.
His hand, which had been hovering above her back, slowly and very carefully descended. This time, it was no longer a mere gesture, but rather carried an undeniable sense of reverence as it gently touched her nightgown, feeling the body temperature and heartbeat emanating from beneath her that made his heart tremble.
The night was still thick, and the bedroom remained silent.
But within this small bed curtain, all the constraints seemed to crumble in an instant, leaving only the warm body in his arms and the raging waves of intense joy mixed with a secret possessiveness that were growing wildly in his heart.
-
The next day, golden sunlight streamed through the window and filled the room.
Song Qiling slowly woke up in the warm sunlight, her consciousness not yet fully returned, only to find that she had slept exceptionally soundly that night.
She stretched out her limbs as usual, then rolled half a circle on the soft mattress until her back hit a cold, empty space. Only then did she belatedly realize something and suddenly freeze.
Last night before going to sleep, the "octopus" was still wrapped around her side, its soft tentacles always trying to burrow into her palm. She even moved it to the side to avoid crushing it. Why is it so quiet now?
Song Qiling's heart tightened, and she quickly propped herself up on her arms, threw off the thin quilt covering her body, and looked into the inner side of the bed. She saw that the brocade quilt was empty. Not to mention the black, semi-transparent, soft-touch octopus, she couldn't even see a similar shadow.
"Could it have rolled under the bed?" she muttered to herself, kneeling up with her knees against the mattress, pinching a corner of the pillow between her fingers, and suddenly lifting it off.
There was nothing under my pillow.
She frantically grabbed her coat draped at the foot of the bed, shaking it repeatedly until the fabric rustled, but she still couldn't see that familiar figure.
Song Qiling frowned, even the sleepiness she had just woken up vanished: "Could it be that she ran away on her own?"
Just as she was feeling uneasy and was about to bend down to check under the bed, a familiar voice came from outside the door: "Senior brother, what are you looking for?"
“I’m looking for…” Song Qiling started to speak subconsciously, but stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.
Did that octopus start talking?
She turned her head in disbelief, her gaze fixed on the doorway.
A person carrying a food table slowly stepped into the room.
Backlit, his figure was clearly defined and upright.
It is indeed humanoid.
When he entered the room, Song Qiling could see clearly that he was wearing an extremely eye-catching crimson brocade robe today, with cloud patterns embroidered with silver thread on the collar and cuffs, and a jade belt of the same color around his waist, with a small sachet hanging from the jade buckle, swaying gently with his movements.
The color was already bright, which made his skin look even whiter, and the heroic spirit between his eyebrows and eyes was mixed with a touch of youthful handsomeness.
Just like when he was taking care of his family in Tianshui.
She was truly a magnificent butterfly.
It was also a world apart from the limp octopus of yesterday...
On the table were white porcelain bowls of porridge and steaming buns. The rising steam blurred his jawline, but it couldn't hide the faint smile on his lips.
Song Qiling remained kneeling, her hair disheveled with a few strands sticking up, her eyes filled with confusion.
Seeing her like this, Gu Lianzhou's smile deepened. He stepped into the room and gently placed the food tray on the table. The porcelain bowl clinked against the wooden table, making a crisp sound. "Senior brother, quickly wash up and come eat. The porridge will get cold soon."
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Qiling's eyes lit up.
She finally came to her senses, staggered off the bed, stepped barefoot onto the cool floor, and rushed to Gu Lianzhou, holding his shoulders tightly with both hands.
She tilted her head back and carefully examined him, looking from his eyebrows and eyes to his chin, then sweeping down his robes to make sure there was no trace of demonic transformation on his body before finally letting out a sigh of relief. Her voice was filled with undisguised joy: "Junior brother, you...you've turned back? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Gu Lianzhou raised his hand and covered the back of her hand, the warmth of his palm steadily enveloping her slightly cool fingertips. His fingertips habitually hooked around her knuckles and gently rubbed them, reassuring her, "Don't worry, senior brother, I'm fine. But you, aren't you cold with your bare feet?"
Having said that, she suddenly realized something, her ears burning, and she released her hand, letting it fall to her side. Her gaze also shifted to the empty space to the side. "I've been acting like a demon for too long these past few days, and I've gotten used to being clingy. I've lost my sense of propriety..."
Song Qiling naturally understood the meaning behind his words, but she didn't mind. She was overwhelmed with joy and smiled so hard that her eyes disappeared: "It's alright, you sit down first, I'll go wash up now."
After saying that, she walked towards the door, but halfway there, she was suddenly pulled back by an arm and led to the side of the bed.
Gu Lianzhou's palm was still loosely protecting her waist, afraid that she would stumble. He let go of her hand only after she stood still on the edge of the bed, bent down and pulled out a pair of soft-soled cloth shoes from under the bed. When he looked up, there was a helpless smile in his eyes, "Put on your shoes first."
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